Interdisciplinary Learning

Undesign the Redline

Each school year, students engage in an interdisciplinary project.

Undesign the Redline - Kansas City is an example of a project on the history of redlining and housing discrimination in Kansas City.

This project culminates in a community exhibition that includes a historical timeline of information, student speakers, and engagement with community leaders on how to “undesign” the legacy of redlining in Northeast Kansas City.

Essential Questions

  • How does racism become structural/systemic? 

  • What are alternative models and how can we participate in the invention of new policies and practices to “undesign” this legacy?

Learning Objectives

    • Understand how Jim Crow era racism was designed into our systems from the New Deal era until today 

    • Demonstrate the connections between the many problems we face (e.g. housing discrimination, environmental racism) and visualize how these symptoms can be traced back to deeper root causes (e.g. Jim Crow laws, redlining, restrictive covenants)

    • Analyze data and statistics to tell stories and identify local problems, making connections to our history and today 

    • Explore the reparations movement and create alternative models and processes

    • Examine the environmental impact of redlining by collecting quantitative and qualitative data (e.g. water, soil, and biodiversity) and report findings to scientific and civic leaders 

    • Engage in the conservation of natural resources in redlined areas (e.g Kessler Park/Pond) by designing solutions that increase biodiversity and reduce human impact

    • Learn mathematical terms for data analysis and use them in writing

    • Examine the impact of systemic racism on education, housing, and job opportunities in Northeast Kansas City

    • Examine correlations (e.g. weak vs strong, positive vs negative) by creating scatter plots that compare sets of data (e.g. median neighborhood income, unemployment rate, and percentage of nonwhite residents) on the same coordinate plane

    • Engage in research with community organizations to learn the history of redlining in Kansas City (e.g. UMKC and KC Library Special Archives, Urban League of Greater KC)

    • Read, write, and share the stories of redlining and why our neighborhoods look the way they do-- focusing on themes such as how people, systems, intention, and impact interact with symptoms and root causes

    • Create visually stimulating art for community members to develop a deeper understanding of the history of redlining and its effects on neighborhood development 

    • Design solutions to address some of the most pressing issues impacting Northeast KC and connect community members to actionable opportunities

    • Explore how one’s own identity is informed and shaped by one’s neighborhood 

    • Become agents of social change with local organizations (e.g. City Council, KC Tenants, Jerusalem Farm) by planning and carrying out collective action